Isaac C. Smith, Brian Reichow, Fred R. Volkmar have an article at The Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders titled "The Effects of DSM-5 Criteria on Number of Individuals Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review." The abstract:
A growing body of research has raised concerns about the number of individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) according to DSM-IV-TR who may no longer qualify for diagnoses under the new DSM-5 criteria, published in May 2013. The current study systematically reviews 25 articles evaluating samples according to both DSM-IV-TR and DSM-5 ASD criteria. Consistent with previous reviews, the majority of included studies indicated between 50 and 75 % of individuals will maintain diagnoses. We conducted visual analyses of subgroups using harvest plots and found the greatest decreases among high-functioning populations with IQs over 70 and/or previous diagnoses of PDD-NOS or Asperger’s disorder. We discuss the potential research and clinical implications of reduced numbers of individuals diagnosed with ASD.One major limitation of such studies is that actual clinical practice might be very different. Also note that the shift might not affect services in schools, since educational determinations are different from medical diagnoses.
